


Changing History is Easy, it's Changing the Present That's a Bitch

by BandraK



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Charming Family Feels, F/F, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-31 05:27:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3966106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BandraK/pseuds/BandraK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma's staying in Storybrooke; she has to if she's going to have any hope of making things right with Regina after her trip back in time screwed up the former Evil Queens chance at a happy ending. Shouldn't be too hard, right? All Emma has to do is figure out how to give Regina her happily ever after.</p><p>Unless the question Emma should be asking is who Regina's happily ever after should be with.</p><p>And if her Mom's right about the who... the how just became a whole lot trickier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mothers Say the Darndest things

“-and Henry and I are going to look at a few apartments after school.” Emma finished as she pulled on her coat, though the half bagel clutched between her teeth made the blonde’s words sound more like, “uhn enny uhn i ahh owe-in oo luck ah a foo ahbuhmens af-ker sool.”

Thankfully Mary Margaret had spent enough time around the sheriff to translate Eating-Emma speak and Snow was lucky enough to benefit from the knowledge.

“I know. Henry told me earlier. He’s very… excited about it.”

Emma’s shoulders dropped slightly. “Mar- Mom,” She pulled her hand away from the door knob and turned to face the other woman. “I-”

“I know, Emma, I do. And I know it’s the right thing to do. As much as your father and I might wish otherwise sometimes, you grew up without us and now you’re a grown up with a son of your own-” Snow glanced down at the baby held in her arms and a smile tinged with regret pulled at her lips before she turned back to her daughter. “-and you need your own space. Really, I get all of that and I didn’t mean to sound like I don’t. I just…”

Emma slowly crossed the few feet between them and held out a finger for her little brother to grab hold of. “I know. But it’s for the best. You’ve got a new kid to look after and this place was cramped enough with just the three of us.” She looked up at Snow, then back at the infant silently watching them both. “And Henry and I got used to being on our own in New York.”

“Emma, it’s okay. Really. It’s enough that you chose to stay here with us.” Snow shifted her grip on her son so that she could lay a hand on Emma’s arm. “Even if we weren’t the only reason you did.”

Emma looked back up at her mother. “But you are. You’re my home. You, Dad, Henry-”

“Regina.”

Emma’s jaw tightened. “She’s-”

“Emma.”

The blonde turned and took several steps away. “She won’t even talk to me. Hell, she won’t even look at me! I swear, I didn’t know it was Marian.”

Snow started to gently rocked her baby before Emma’s rising voice upset him and waved off Emma’s apologetic shrug. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?” Emma asked in a stage whisper while keeping her distance.

Snow, in turn, gave her only a knowing look in reply.

“Mom?”

A sigh filled her air. “Honestly, between the two of you I don’t know who’s worse at facing their emotions.” Snow said to herself before turning her attention back to her daughter. “Emma… you love her.”

Emma took a step back. “What? Who? Regina?”

Snow nodded.

Emma shook her head. “Have you hit your head lately? Is some crazy after affect of me changing the time line?” Emma’s confused expression turned serious, her posture straightening as she pointed towards the floor. “Was Rumple here?”

“Emma,” Snow said, the name practically an exasperated sigh. “No, this isn’t some spell or some magical hangover or some cheesy sitcom trope. You love Regina-”

“No, I don’t.”

“-And she loves you.” Snow finished, unperturbed by Emma’s interruption.

Emma shoved her hands into her pockets. This was the last thing she'd expected to hear out of her mother's mouth and, more to the point, it was the last thing she needed right now. Emma had enough to deal with just trying to get Regina to acknowledge her existence. Regina wouldn't even give her the time of day. Hell, the few times they'd been within eye shot of each other since the true nature of Marian had been revealed, Regina wouldn't even look at her. And that's if Regina didn't just turn around and head in the other direction. Whatever crazy idea had gotten inside Emma's mothers head had to be shot down now and shot down hard.

“I. Do not. Love Regina.” Emma pulled her right hand from her pocket and emphasized each point with another finger jabbed towards the floor.

“Emm-”

“NO!”

Neal cried out and Snow dropped her eyes from her eldest as she tried to sooth her youngest, looking up only when she heard the door to the apartment close behind Emma.

“She didn’t mean it, sweetheart.” Snow cooed as she turned back to her son, her finger replacing the one Emma had long since taken away. “She’s not mad, well, not at you. She’s just… stubborn. Like Regina.” A grin briefly curled her lips. “They’ve both had hard lives and not enough people who loved them so letting themselves love someone else doesn’t come easily.” She gave the door another glance then leaned over to press a kiss to her son’s cheek. “But you won’t have that problem, will you. No you won’t because you’re going to grow up like your uncle Henry, with all sorts of people who love you and would do anything to keep you safe.”

Neal, calmer now, gave his mother a lopsided grin.

“That’s right, my little Prince." Snow rocked gently from side to side as she softly hummed a lullaby from her youth.

"Mom…”

Snow looked up, the smile she’d had for her son only growing as she found her daughter standing half hidden behind the door.

“Yes Emma?”

The blonde hesitated for a moment before she stepped the rest of the way into the apartment and closed the door behind her. “What makes you think she loves me?”


	2. Papas Don't Preach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Snow having her say, It's David's turn at bat... or sword in this case. Will it be a witty riposte, or cutting commentary. Can Dad slash his way to the truth or will Emma parry every strike. Should we sheathe the fencing puns or touché on a few more?
> 
> And just in case you're wondering... I am not left handed.

“Parry… parry… dodge… parry… slash and thrust.” David instructed, keeping one eye on Emma’s form as he mirrored her through each step of her training. He raised an eyebrow slightly at the extra effort she put into the last two moves.

“Good, good. You’re getting better everyday you just need to remember to keep your elbow up when you swing.”

“I know.” Emma huffed as she walked back to her starting point, dragging the tip of her practice sword through the dirt behind her – much to David’s dismay. 

He resisted the impulse to correct her, however. He might not have been there to watch her grow up but he didn’t need to raise her to know that something was bothering his little girl. Something that if she didn’t get it off her chest soon might end up getting someone hurt.

Maybe he should switch her over to Henry’s wooden sword?

Or not. Definitely not. David took a half step back as Emma slashed her sword through an imaginary foe hard enough for him to feel the breeze stirred up by the cleaved air from several feet away. 

“So, Emma… how are you doing?”

“Dammit.” Emma jabbed her sword into the dirt hard enough to bury the tip several inches into the soil then whirled around to face him. “She told you, didn’t she. She promised me she wouldn’t talk to anyone about it but I knew, I just knew she’d tell you.”

“Em-”

“You know it’s times like this I’m glad I didn’t grow up with you two hovering over me, ganging up on me and trying to make everything right instead of minding your own damn business.”

David took another step back, this one too late to stop the damage done by Emma’s attack. "Emma,“ He said, attempting to keep his voice free of the wound her words had caused, "I don’t know what you’re talking about but I’m guessing it has something to do with your- with Snow and I can assure you that she hasn’t told me about anything.”

Emma gave him a cold stare for several seconds before her features softened into regret. “I’m sorry Dav- Dad, I didn’t-”

“It’s alright, Emma.”

“No, it isn’t. Even if Snow told you, I shouldn’t have bitten off your head like that and I never should have said what I did.”

“I could have done without both.” David said, then waved off Emma’s second round of apologies before it could reach her mouth. “I’m kidding, Emma. This… us… our family… none of it is the way we wanted it to be and we’ve got a lot of time to make up for and there’s going to be a lot of adjusting to do along the way on all our parts. At some point we’re all bound to say something we wish we hadn’t and part of being a family is forgiven us when we do. Maybe not right away but,” He shrugged, “eventually.”

“Mom wouldn’t.”

“Forgive you?”

“No. Say something she’d regret.”

“Emma-” David took the hilt of his daughter’s abandoned sword in hand and yanked it out of the ground – a small grunt cutting off his words at the effort it took. Emma’s angry thrust had driven it deeper than he’d thought. Whatever his wife and Emma had been talking about, it clearly had his eldest upset. “Your mother has any number of fine qualities,” he continued as he gave the flat of both sides of the blade a quick wipe against the leg of his pants to clear away the earth that clung to the steel then rested it, and his own, over his shoulder, "but trust me when I say that not having regrets isn’t one of them.“

"Whatever.” Emma mumbled as she made her way over to the fence-post where she’d hung her coat.

“You know you can talk to me about it, whatever it is, if you want.”

Emma paused with her coat half on. “Yeah… I know.” She finished pushing her arms through the sleeves then tugged the front halves into place. “But I don’t- It’s just..”

“That’s okay too. Just know that whatever it is, I’m here for you and so is your mother.”

Emma gave a nod, her back kept to David as she zipped up her jacket.

“You, uh… You’re not going to ask her about this, are you?”

“Nope. Your mother made you promise and we’re both going to respect that.”

Another nod. A pause. Then Emma quickly turned and closed the distance between them to wrap her arms around her father. “Thanks.”

David slipped the hand not holding their swords around her waist to return the hug. “Anytime, Princess.”

Emma made a noise half way between a laugh and a sniffle as she pulled away. “Same time next week.”

“I’ll be here, waiting.”

Emma gave another nod and for a moment David thought she might go in for another hug but she gave him a small smile instead before turning away as she headed back to her car.

“And remember, keep your elbow up.” He called after her, a small smile pulling at his own lips.

**Author's Note:**

> A while (read year) ago I decided to try my hand at some tumblr Once Upon a Time rp-ing... one account didn't work out so much so I started posting OUAT fanfic there instead; never intending to post them here. Going over the account today and changed my mind.
> 
> So here they are (separately, mind you, not all together), with some minor editing (and titles too; fancy, fancy titles). Enjoy. ;D
> 
> Potential spoilers for Season 3.


End file.
